Aviation defence industry technology
 
 

Analysis: What precisely happened? US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper lost after collided by Russian Su-27

On March 14, 2023, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary gave a press briefing to comment on the loss of a $32 million U.S. Air Force surveillance MQ-9 Reaper drone hit by a Russian Su-27 fighter. Let us go deeper into the explanation of what happened.

Russian Su-47 Berkut fighter jet marks 25 years

Su-47  Berkut (Golden eagle) jet, the predecessor of the fifth-generation Su-57, made the maiden flight 25 years ago. first flown on September 25, 1997 by Igor Votintsev, test pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, is considered one of the most unusual aircraft. First of all, due to its main feature - the reverse sweep wing. Not so noticeable externally, but no less advanced technologies in the Su-47 are a digital control system and composite materials.

NASA is helping fly drones in the Arctic

A team led by NASA scientists is showing how a fixed-winged drone named Vanilla could fly for several days over the Arctic ocean carrying an instrument that uses radar to measure the depth of snow accumulating on top of sea ice.

HUUVER, a hybrid between UAV and UGV

Although drones have come through a mesmerizing development, they still have many limitations. While they are operating most of the time limitless in the sky, their utility in ground-based missions is impossible. This project comes across the limitations and provides the answer and technological solution to the emerging market of the autonomous vehicles. The concept of Hybrid UAV-UGV for Efficient Relocation of Vessels (HUUVER) describes how to create a platform that combines in an elegant way two types of propulsion systems in a compact and highly integrated autonomous drone.

France develops flapping-wing UAV

The French Ministry of Armed Forces recently unveiled a drone project inspired by bird and insect flight movements.

MIT researchers developing new generation of tiny agile UAVs

A new fabrication technique, developed by a team of electrical engineers and computer scientists, produces low-voltage, power-dense artificial muscles that improve the performance of flying microrobots.

List of the French Air and Space Force current equipment in 2021

The French Ministry of Armed Forces published a report about the French Armed Forces and their equipment for the year 2021, in accordance with the commitments of the military programming law (LPM) 2019-2025.

Aerospace Systems Directorate collaborates with partners to build innovative airframe

Under the Design for Manufacture of Attritable Aircraft Primary Structure (DMAAPS) program, a US Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate team of researchers and engineers tested a low cost attritable aircraft fuselage and wings design, September 14, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Russia needs light turboprop aircraft against guerrillas

The rapid reaction forces and commandos of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) need modern arms and hardware to counter the threats coming from Afghanistan. The air component plays a major role due to the long borders, hard-of-access terrain, potential guerrilla war, infiltration of terrorists and illegal migrants. So far, reconnaissance and strike helicopters and drones can be used, the Independent Military Review writes.

US Air Force Research Lab Aerospace Systems Directorate granted patent for innovative control surfaces technology

Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Aerospace Systems Directorate recently secured a patent for their control surface technology after successfully developing and demonstrating additively manufactured, multi-material conformal control surfaces for aircraft wings.

NASA X-59 QueSST to reach quiet sonic boom

In partnership with NASA, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works team is solving one of the most persistent challenges of supersonic flight – the sonic boom. X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) will be used to collect community response data on the acceptability of a quiet sonic boom generated by the unique design of the aircraft. The data will help NASA provide regulators with the information needed to establish an acceptable commercial supersonic noise standard to lift the ban on commercial supersonic travel over land. This breakthrough would open the door to an entirely new global market for aircraft manufacturers, enabling passengers to travel anywhere in the world in half the time it takes today.

Nellis Air Force Base Airmen use WIDOW, tailor-made software for ABMS

Nellis Air Force Base Airmen are utilizing the modern software application WIDOW, or Web-based Information Dominant Warfare, to digitize the tactical-level mission planning process.

Self-righting for fixed-wing drone, inspired by the elytra of ladybug

Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) are being used in a wide range of applications such as surveillance, reconnaissance, inspection, and search and rescue. However, due to their size and mission profiles, they are prone to tipping over, jeopardizing their operation. Self-righting is an open challenge for fixed-wing drones since existing research focuses on terrestrial and multicopter flying robots with solutions that increase drag and structural weight. Until now, solutions for winged drones remained largely unexplored. Inspired by beetles, A research team at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland propose a robust and elegant solution where they retrofit a fixed-wing drone with a set of additional wings akin to beetles shell structured wings called elytra.

USA: AEDC tests directed energy system in wind tunnel

The Aerodynamics Branch of Arnold Engineering Development Complex at Arnold Air Force Base is helping the Air Force take directed energy (DE) systems airborne.

Marine aviators use online gaming concept to enhance training

Before the dawn of online gaming, video games and computer games primarily featured two to four players sitting in the same room looking at the same screen while using a controller or keyboard to play a game where they either raced or battled with or against each other. Games such as Mario Kart, Goldeneye and Super Smash Brothers provided hours of entertainment and camaraderie for gamers as they competed with and against their friends and family. When online gaming came into prominence in the early 2000s, it allowed gamers to play with friends, and mostly complete strangers, from anywhere across the globe. Today, the multi-billion dollar industry connects more than 2 billion gamers across a broad spectrum of different types of games such as strategy, first person shooter, and role playing games. U.S. Marine Corps pilots stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina have taken a piece of the concept of online gaming and used it to enhance their training.

US Air Force works on a more integrated and lethal force through Advanced Battle Management System development

Warfighters at Nellis Air Force Base are helping the US Air Force build a more integrated and lethal force through Advanced Battle Management System development, the Air Force’s network solution to enable rapid decision-making that powers Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2.

Modernization of KC-135 Stratotanker

The KC-135 Stratotanker, the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s strategic aerial refueling fleet for nearly 65 years, recently gained new capabilities that will enable it to continue to carry out its mission of Global Reach and Global Power for years to come.

Rostec tests demonstrator engine for spaceplanes

The United Engine Corporation of Rostec has completed the first stage of testing a demonstrator model of a pulse detonation engine, which in the future can be used in advanced rocket and space systems, hypersonic aircraft and orbital spaceplanes. In some operating modes, the power plant demonstrated up to 50% increase in specific thrust when compared to conventional engines.

Russia designs Liana space intelligence and guidance system

Military space technologies rose to a new level in the past decades. A group of satellites can monitor and coordinate joint operation of combat units. Sophisticated ground, airborne and space systems are designed to intercept and disable spacecraft. Specific attention is paid to guidance, the Independent Military Review writes.

USA: 53rd Wing brings cruise missile tests to climatic lab

The 53rd Wing brought its test and evaluation mission to the McKinley Climatic Lab in March to test an air-launched cruise missile.

First semi-autonomous Quad-legged UGVs arrive at Tyndall Air Force Base

The first official semi-autonomous robot dogs were delivered to Tyndall Air Force Base March 22 for integration into the 325th Security Forces Squadron.

Technodinamika reveals aircraft simulator plans - part 2

Simulators play a major role in the training of military pilots. The trainers improve and become more realistic each year. Technodinamika CEO Igor Nasenkov told TASS which simulators would be supplied shortly, which ones are being designed and which advanced aircraft simulators are available on a dynamic platform.

Technodinamika reveals aircraft simulator plans - part 1

Simulators play a major role in the training of military pilots. The trainers improve and become more realistic each year. Technodinamika CEO Igor Nasenkov told TASS which simulators would be supplied shortly, which ones are being designed and which advanced aircraft simulators are available on a dynamic platform.

US Air Force Research Laboratory breaks ground on state of the art space environment lab

The US Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate broke ground on a new facility named the Skywave Technology Laboratory March 16. The 3,500 square foot, $3.5 million lab will be located in a remote area on Kirtland Air Force Base.

Russian Pantsyr air defense system proves effective against drones

Moscow has received a large amount of requests for the delivery of Pantsyr surface-to-air missile/gun systems and S-400 anti-aircraft missile complexes, according to the director of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation.

USA: Squadron Innovation solves decade-long issue for the F-15E

The aircraft Modification Support Team lead, Mr. Carlos Oregon, in the Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force designed and built a tester to safeguard the AN/ASQ-236 “Dragon’s Eye” Radar Pod, a limited and precious asset in the F-15E Strike Eagle community.

Page 1 of 9